In general, warehouses are built to temporarily house products and to provide access to those products for fulfilling future orders. Manual labor is typically required to receive, store, count, pick, and ship the products for orders. Managing the capacity of the warehouse, the variability of products, the availability of labor, and the expectations of customers, while minimizing the costs of operations and transportation, can be a challenge for warehouse operators. Many warehouses employ some form of automation to reduce the dependency on labor in the warehouse. These automation systems are generally limited by the availability of open space, the time it takes to install the system, the size and weight of the products the system can support, and the cost to purchase and install the system. The installation of these systems may also further constrain the warehouse operator and limit the ability to meet changes in products, customer expectations, and costs. In addition, access to additional manual labor as business grows can be a significant problem, particularly for operators supporting industries that are highly seasonal.
Accordingly, a need exists for systems and methods of improving warehouse operating productivity.